


First Impressions

by aperfectpearl (dimensionhoppingrose)



Series: BisPearl Week 2019 [4]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Early Rebellion, F/F, First Meetings, Pre-Canon, The Renegade Pearl, War Era
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-21
Updated: 2019-02-21
Packaged: 2019-11-01 23:31:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,757
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17876858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dimensionhoppingrose/pseuds/aperfectpearl
Summary: Bismuth's first meeting with the renegade pearl doesn't go well. In her defense, it's easy to make mistakes. Pearl was just the wrong gem to make a mistake with.





	First Impressions

**Author's Note:**

> BisPearl Week Day Four Prompt: Swords

To say Bismuth didn’t make a good first impression on the renegade pearl was a _woeful_ understatement.

She’d heard of the renegade, of course. Everyone in the lower caste had been whispering about the servant gem defying her very reason for existence. She’d even been excited – when the amorous, pink-haired leader of the rebellion had recruited her – to _meet_ the pearl. A gem like that, blatantly spitting in the face of everything Homeworld stood for? Bismuth wasn’t ashamed to say the idea was thrilling.

Maybe she had built the pearl up too much in her mind. Maybe she had been expecting something larger than life. Maybe that was why, upon seeing the pale, slight gem, her first words were, “Who do you belong to?”

She heard Rose Quartz sigh faintly while the fusion, Garnet, chuckled, and the pearl just glared at her. Too late, she realized her mistake, and waited to be dealt a finishing blow. Hopefully she would make it quick.

Pearl drew herself up to her full height – had she been slouching? She suddenly seemed a foot taller – fixed Bismuth with an icy glare, and said, “ _Nobody_ ,” before walking off.

“Darn,” Garnet said, adjusting her visor. “There was a future where she slapped you.”

Bismuth made a few incoherent noises before finally saying, “I didn’t mean to – I just – she looks so _normal_.”

“Well, that’s the thing about rebels, isn’t it?” Rose smiled. “They hide in plain sight. Don’t worry too much about Pearl. She’s perfectly sweet once you get to know her.”

Bismuth highly doubted _that_ was ever going to happen.

* * *

 

It didn’t take long to get used to the dynamic around the rebellion’s camp. There were several other gems, and it was clear that Rose, Garnet, and Pearl were the unquestioned leaders. Or mostly unquestioned. But if Pearl noticed the looks the others gave her, she ignored them, holding her head up high and walking around the camp with her sword on her hip, ordering the gems around without hesitation.

Bismuth's first training session was a bit surreal. She had been expecting Rose or Garnet to follow her out onto the scuffed up field to run her through her paces. Instead, it was Pearl who followed her, spinning her sheathed sword lazily.

She knew better than to comment on it.

“Whenever you two are ready!” Rose called, smiling, as she settled on the sidelines with everyone else. Apparently training sessions were a spectator thing. Bismuth saw the quartz lean over and whisper something to Garnet, who grinned in return and muttered back.

“Uh, so...” Bismuth’s fists turned into hammers – the most useful tool she could think of for pounding on things. “At your speed, I suppose?”

“I’m ready whenever you are.” Her body language told an entirely different story. She was leaning on her sword, still sheathed, apparently completely bored by this entire thing. “You can go first. I try to be nice to the new recruits.”

If ever there was a way to get Bismuth’s hackles up, that was it. She didn’t blame Pearl for not liking her, not after that first meeting, but now she was treating her like she needed an advantage? Who did she think she was?

“I can’t promise the same,” she declared in a growl before running forward, hammers out stretched. She wasn’t going to _hurt_ Pearl, of course. Just… slam the ground in front of her and scare her. That would show-

What happened next was too fast for Bismuth to follow. She’d raised her arms, ready to attack, when Pearl just disappeared from her sight. There was a faint feeling of something on her hammers, and when she whirled around she saw Pearl behind her now, drawing her sword. She was _fast_. Bismuth whipped around, swinging her hammer, this time aiming to deal a real blow, but Pearl ducked, getting under Bismuth’s attack and flipping her sword, hitting Bismuth in the stomach with the dull end of the handle. Bismuth stumbled back, clutching her stomach in surprise.

“One,” Pearl said, straightening up.

“What?”

“That’s one hit. The first gem to three wins.”

It made sense, Bismuth supposed, feeling her competitive side flare up. She was _not_ going to lose. If she could get that sword away from Pearl, she could beat her. She was stronger, she was heavier, and she couldn’t be disarmed.

 _Let’s see the renegade handle **that**_.

She ran forward again, hammers outstretched, intending to close on the sword. Pearl dodged at the last minute, jumping around Bismuth and swinging her sword. Bismuth whirled to block the blow. Aha! She’d caught the sword against the flat of her hammer, with the side of the sword pressed against it. She swung her other fist around to slam them together, and for a moment Pearl actually looked surprised.

Bismuth threw her hammers upward, intending to shake Pearl off the sword. Pearl held on until the last moment, when it was clear Bismuth was stronger than her, and she landed just a couple feet away. Bismuth could just tap her on the head or something and even the score. She ran forward eagerly…

And was left stunned when something slammed into her forehead. Stars filled her vision – wait no, those were real. The real, true sparkle of a summoned weapon. “Two,” Pearl said, her weapon half-drawn from her gem. Her leg came up and planted square into Bismuth’s chest, right below the gem. “And three,” she announced, drawing her spear completely and resting it on the ground as Bismuth went tumbling back, trying to figure out what had happened.

“That was good for your first fight,” Rose called in reassurance. “Biggs, your turn.”

Another gem chuckled as she sauntered off to the field, and Bismuth picked up her broken ego to carry it back to the sidelines.

“Do you know why we put newcomers up with Pearl first?” Rose asked gently as Bismuth flopped beside her.

“To teach them a lesson in losing their dignity?”

Rose shook her head. “To teach them to respect her. She’s worked very long and very hard to get to where she is. Don’t forget that when you’re talking to her.”

* * *

Bismuth didn’t forget. Interactions with Pearl were far and few between, though – she always seemed to be _doing_ something. Keeping order around the camp, training, not to mention the frequent scouting missions she and Rose disappeared on.

“What are they doing?” Bismuth asked Garnet when she saw the two leaving again. Garnet shrugged.

“They’ve got their secrets. But they’ve never given me a reason not to trust them.”

True enough, Bismuth supposed. And she had her own thing. A couple of the gems had helped her build an amazing forge, where she could work on weapons for the gems who needed them, or wanted them. She could spend days at a time there, working happily until someone came to fetch her for a training session.

It was _freedom_. And Bismuth loved it.

* * *

 

Her first battle with the Crystal Gems was… not a win. Bismuth would have called it a complete loss, but Rose assured her later it could have gone much worse. They’d been forced to retreat when several of their soldiers were poofed. She helped collect the gems before they ran, and set them out in the healing tent for when they were ready to come back.

“Rose, I’m fine–”

“Stop fussing and let me see your gem. I saw that glitch.”

“You’re overreacting. It’s just a little nick.”

Bismuth peaked out of the tent. Rose and Pearl were a few feet away, hidden in the shadow of a tree as they quietly argued.

“So you’ve gone from ‘I’m fine’ to ‘it’s just a nick.’ Let me see.”

“I’m more worried about my swords,” Pearl grumbled even as she stilled and allowed Rose to lean in, looking her over critically.

“We’ll get you another sword.” Rose brushed a thumb over Pearl’s gem, and she winced, her form momentarily glitching. “There it is.” She clasped Pearl’s face in her hands, tenderly kissing Pearl’s gem. “Don’t tell me that doesn’t feel better,” she said with a small smile as she pulled away. Bismuth quickly ducked back into the tent, feeling like she had just witnessed something she wasn’t supposed to see. But it had given her an idea.

* * *

 

When there was absolutely nothing to do – when the other gems had wandered off to explore Earth and see the planet they were fighting for – Garnet and Pearl would sit under a tree and talk. It was the most relaxed Pearl ever allowed herself to be in the public eye. Bismuth watched them for a moment before steeling herself and approaching, hands behind her back. The sunlight glinted off Garnet’s visor as she looked up.

“Hey.”

Pearl looked as well, and Bismuth grinned. “Got something for ya,” she said, presenting the two swords with a flourish. Pearl immediately lit up.

“Those are for me? Really?”

Bismuth chuckled. “Yeah. I heard you lost your last ones and, well, since I’m the weapon maker around here...”

Pearl jumped up, taking one of the swords, her expression filled with awe as she looked it over. “It’s gorgeous.” The reverie in her voice and the look on her face absolutely made the extra work of creating a mold for the sword worth it.

“Well? Try ‘em out.” Bismuth tossed Pearl the other sword, and she caught it smoothly, beaming.

“Just don’t kill any trees this time,” Garnet added, smirking, and Pearl blushed slightly.

“Oh, shush.”

She summoned up a hologram for herself – the only opponent she could really let loose on – and Bismuth hurriedly stepped back as the two Pearls began fighting.

“Yeesh. That’s intense.”

“It’s how she trained herself,” Rose spoke up as she approached, smiling. “They’re a good substitute for fighting against each other since we can actually hit them and not worry about doing any damage.”

Right on cue, Pearl ducked a blow and swung her sword right through the middle of the hologram, dissipating it. She straightened up with a satisfied smile. “They’re amazing,” she said happily as she turned one sword over. Then, in a flash, she ran back to Bismuth, throwing her arms around her neck. “Thank you!”

“Whoa!” She was still holding the swords of course, and Bismuth mostly trusted her not to accidentally decapitate her, but it was still unnerving. After a moment, she chuckled, returning the hug.

It was a shame no one had told her sooner that Pearl forgave anyone who could find her a decent sword.


End file.
